Burns wins BFL Super Tournament on Atchafalaya Basin

BELLE RIVER, La. – Boater Bill Burns of Bastrop earned $5,997 Sunday as winner of the two-day, season-ending Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Louisiana Division Super Tournament on the Atchafalaya Basin. His two-day total of 24 pounds, 10 ounces topped 94 fellow competitors in the Boater Division.

Burns caught 11 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to advance to Sunday’s competition, where he caught 13 pounds, 5 ounces to post the heaviest two-day weight and claim the win. Burns also earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, and he earned another $1,000 from Bombardier because his boat was powered by an Evinrude Direct Injection outboard.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Kevin Voisin of Morgan City (23 pounds, 8 ounces, $2,999); Conrad Picou of Carencro (23 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,624); Roger Hudnall of Denham Springs (22 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,374); and Cliff Crochet of Pierre Part (22 pounds, 2 ounces, $1,125).

Frank Ducote of Livonia earned $940 as the Boater Division big-bass winner, thanks to a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass.

Kendall Vosburg of Jarreau earned $2,999 as winner of the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 18 pounds, 11 ounces. This was his second career top-10 finish in the BFL and his first win after only two seasons fishing the trail.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Anthony Coye of Baton Rouge (16 pounds, 7 ounces, $1,499); David Kennedy of Baton Rouge (13 pounds, 8 ounces, $812); Rene Planchard of Baton Rouge (13 pounds, 7 ounces, $687); and Jerry Hartley of Morgan City (13 pounds, 5 ounces, $562).

Kevin King of Gonzales claimed co-angler big-bass honors with a 4-pound, 5-ounce bass. He earned $470 for his big bass.

Each of the BFL’s 24 nationwide divisions features four one-day tournaments and one two-day Super Tournament within the regular season. In Super Tournament competition, the entire field competes on day one and the top 20 percent advances to day two, with the winners determined by the heaviest two-day catch weights. More money is awarded at Super Tournaments as well as more points that count toward year-end angler standings. In a Super Tournament, 300 points are awarded for first place, 299 for second, 298 for third, and so on.

Jody Floyd of Zachary earned $1,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” boater points champion in the Louisiana Division with 1,013 points for the season. King earned Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion honors and $500 in the Co-angler Division. He earned 994 points this season.

The top 30 boaters and co-anglers in the Louisiana Division will advance to the Toledo Bend regional, which will be held Oct. 12-16 in Many. There they will compete against qualifying anglers from the Arkie, Okie and Ozark divisions for one of six slots in the 2005 All-American. The All-American awards a $100,000 cash prize to the winning boater and $50,000 to the winning co-angler, making it one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in competitive bass fishing.

Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to regional competition are eligible to fish the Chevy Trucks Wild Card for an All-American berth. Six nationwide regionals plus the Wild Card will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total field of 84 competitors.

The $6.3 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 24 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired, with boaters supplying the boat and fishing against other boaters and co-anglers fishing from the back deck against other co-anglers. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com’s sponsor page.